Vice-President JD Vance said on Friday that the United States wins 'either way' in negotiations with Iran, pointing to what he described as the destruction of Iran's nuclear program and its diminished status as a country. Appearing on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Vance stated, 'If we make the final deal, then great. If we don't make the final deal, their nuclear program is still destroyed. They're still much weaker as a country, so my attitude is America wins either way.'
Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz
Vance's appearance came hours before reports emerged that a tanker was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, and both the US and Iran launched military strikes in the worst escalation since signing an interim peace deal. Washington confirmed it hit Iranian targets overnight, while Iran said it struck targets linked to US forces on Saturday in retaliation. Saturday's attack on a tanker followed an attack on a cargo ship on Thursday that triggered the hostilities.
Vance acknowledged that the ceasefire deal between Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, under a 60-day memorandum of understanding (MOU), 'is always going to be a little messy when you're dealing with the Iranians.' He added that the increased flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz was 'a signal that there's something real going on.'
Nuclear Program and Negotiations
During the interview, Vance promoted his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, but most of the segment focused on foreign policy. He said negotiations with an Iranian delegation in Lucerne, Switzerland, have been successful because oil prices dropped to $73 a barrel and Iran's nuclear program was 'functionally destroyed,' referring to its ability to enrich uranium.
Critics of the MOU argue that the Trump administration is negotiating from a weak position because Iran still possesses a stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, which may not be accessible but remains in the country. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Friday that reducing Iran's stockpile or transferring it abroad remains a viable option while a comprehensive agreement is pursued.
When pressed by Maher on whether Iran's nuclear program is truly destroyed, Vance retorted, 'What part of it is not destroyed? The thing that you have to destroy is their ability to enrich uranium, which has been destroyed.' He offered an olive branch: 'If they are willing to give up nuclear weapons ambitions for the long term, then the United States is willing to fundamentally transform our relationship with that country. If they're willing to change, we're willing to change too; if they're not willing to change, we still fundamentally have all the cards and I think that's a good place to be.'
Defense of Richard Nixon
Earlier this week, Vance visited the Richard Nixon presidential library in California, where he appeared to defend Nixon over the Watergate scandal. 'I think that his historical legacy is enjoying a bit of a renaissance – but I think deservedly so,' Vance said. 'If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. Like, the idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy.'
On Real Time, Vance also sidestepped Maher's suggestion that the administration's immigration enforcement policies had gone too far. 'You can't do a law enforcement operation like that without having some situations that are recorded like that,' Vance said. 'I don't think there was an easy way to do this.'
